VOL.164 “夢のひとつ”Yuri Nakamurainterview(second half)

●○○From music freak magazine Vol.164

The D section also became clearer when we actually sang it, because it contained too much information, so we decided to leave it out…

●Was there anything you paid particular attention to while building the song?

Nakamura: The lyrics conveyed the idea of cherishing something precisely because it is fragile, so while recording the vocal I consciously placed the words carefully in the A and B sections so that listeners could better receive that image. A sense of transience emerged as a kind of keyword this time, and the image expanded from there.

●You mentioned that the lyrics changed from the early versions. Were they about something completely different then?

Nakamura: Yes. The title and the words being sung were completely different at that point. Actually, the lyrics in the second B section remained as they were, but when the lyrics change, the world changes too, and the arrangement and structure had changed, so it felt like an entirely different song from the beginning.

●Is there a part of AZUKI’s lyrics that you especially like?

Nakamura: The second B section. I really like it and it stayed with me. I thought that part was good when I sang it the first time, so I secretly wondered whether AZUKI had kept it because she also felt it was good when she changed the lyrics (laughs).

●It is nice to feel that the two of you understood one another without realizing it.

Nakamura: I sang that part carefully from the guide-vocal stage, and even after all the lyrics changed, she kept only that part alive. I wondered whether there was some power in my singing that made AZUKI think, “Let’s leave this part.” At first, those lyrics belonged to the first B section, but after the lyrics changed, they moved to the second. It felt very good to sing that passage, so I was really happy when I realized it had remained after the lyrics changed. I never specifically say this to her (laughs), but AZUKI also hears the guide vocal, so I think she kept it because the words fit well or for some similar reason (laughs).

●Did you consciously think about the season while writing the song?

Nakamura: We often write songs without thinking about the season, and “Yume no Hitotsu” was not created with summer specifically in mind. We focused more on completing the song’s own world. We did think about the season when choosing the coupling tracks. For example, we selected songs that felt summery or would be pleasant to hear in summer.

●When was “Love Lone Star” written?

Nakamura: Around the same time as “Yume no Hitotsu.” “Mijikai Natsu” was too. These three songs were written after 『LOCKS』 was released, so although their styles differ, I feel they are connected inside me, and together they make a very easy-to-listen-to sequence.

●They do flow naturally.

Nakamura: It is not that we forced them to have different expressions. Since they were written around the same time, they share the same emotional temperature for me, and I did not have to strain myself emotionally…

●Was “Love Lone Star” structured that way from the beginning?

Nakamura: Yes, it was. When I looked at the lyrics, they seemed strangely compact, which surprised me (laughs). But when you actually sing it, it is not like that at all; there is plenty of volume.

●The outro is lavishly made too.

Nakamura: Yes. We made it something you could listen to carefully. I also really like the intro. I actually thought about adding the sound of waves, but in the end I decided against it. So I would be happy if listeners could make the sound of waves play in their own heads while listening. I chose this as a coupling track because I wanted people to imagine dozing comfortably on a sunset beach while feeling the sea breeze. People around us liked it very much, and we even considered saving it for a later release. But rather than having people listen to it in September or October, I thought releasing it in the middle of the hottest part of summer would let them feel the comfort of the evening sea breeze more strongly, so we included it on this single.

●You can really feel the lingering heat of dusk.

Nakamura: I think that may be GARNET CROW’s kind of summer too… Rather than a summer of sweating and getting excited in the daytime, dusk feels more like us. It is a song that can transport you to a cool retreat… August is a hot, hectic time, so I hoped it could let people taste even a little vacation. In my mind, it is “Monaco in the south of France.” I imagined singing while alone under a parasol there, with the wind blowing and waves rolling in.

●What impression did you have when you read AZUKI’s lyrics?

Nakamura: I thought they were very cute lyrics. When I actually sang them, though, some parts linked with the arrangement and a bittersweet feeling began to seep through, so the song’s expression changes greatly between reading the lyrics alone and hearing them as a song. Reading the lyrics, they feel pastel-colored, but once they are carried by the singing, the color becomes a little more sepia… That is the magic of sound, I suppose. When the lyrics and sound merge and my singing is placed on top, I sometimes think, “Is this what GARNET CROW’s sound is?” Some people feel a kind of bittersweetness in GARNET CROW, and through this song I vividly felt that side may naturally seep out.

●It is a song packed with something like the afterglow of sound. The chorus is distinctive too.

Nakamura: I sing “Love Lone Star” continuously (laughs), and adding that chorus was fun. The arrangement made the harmony sound beautiful, and after I kept adding it, I got carried away and put it all the way through the ending… I wanted people to enjoy the lingering resonance, so I tried it.

●The third song, “Mijikai Natsu,” seems to convey the heat of summer. Was it like this from the beginning?

Nakamura: In terms of sound, it was an edgy song with a prominent guitar tone, but when the arrangement came together, a Mellotron sound entered the B section, giving it a very melancholic and nostalgic quality. In that sense, the A and B sections have something of a 1960s feel, and then the chorus suddenly becomes bright. I want people to enjoy that contrast in expression. The chorus feels as if it breaks through the sky, conveying the strength of the sunlight, and I like how that leads to a positive feeling. The vocal is also high, so I think it has become powerful.

●There are many strongly worded lines in the lyrics. Nakamura, your singing sounded different from usual. What was it like to sing?

Nakamura: Singing the lines where the lyrics make a definite statement felt really good (laughs). I especially like the A section, and it felt refreshing to sing. That is why I think the words have strength too.

●Which parts felt good to sing?

Nakamura: The decisive clarity of the A-section line “The seaside is surely more beautiful when there is nothing there,” and the line “No one can compare with two people in love”—that one feels like, “Exactly!!” (laughs). When the expressions change this much, singing is fun too. If “Love Lone Star” is sung in a soft, dreamy way while enjoying a vacation, then with “Mijikai Natsu” I feel like I am singing more firmly and enjoying it.

●How do you feel now that these three songs have been brought together?

Nakamura: They connect with one another and feel as if they loop. We chose them so that listeners would not get tired, so it is fine to listen absentmindedly. But even if you listen carefully to each song, there are hooks hidden in various places, and it might be fun to find them. I think we expressed a vacation-like summer where you feel the sea breeze, rather than the smell of sweat or harsh sunlight. I hope listening will make you feel as if you went on vacation (laughs).

●A live show will take place after this single is released, but this is your first midsummer live, right?

Nakamura: It is our first, so I do not know what will happen (laughs). Until now we have performed from autumn through winter, but there is no precedent for summer, so it is an unknown world. For now, I just hope a typhoon does not come (laughs). Rehearsals have begun, and because it is an unknown quantity, I intend to enjoy it. We are planning a section where everyone can dance together so that people can have fun again this time, so please look forward to it.

●The Web-only program “GARNET TIME Special,” which begins airing on August 8, has a packed lineup, right? (Interview conducted in late July.)

Nakamura: Anyone who does not watch it will be missing out (laughs). We put that much energy into filming it. The scale kept growing until it became something incredible.

●GARNET CROW usually has some kind of event around this time every year, right?

Nakamura: We do, surprisingly. Since we went this big this time, I feel as if we raised the bar for ourselves next year (laughs). Sometimes I wish we had saved a few ideas, but in the end we always give it our all. We went on location for this program, and filming took about four days in total. We also show sides of ourselves that people do not usually get to see, so I think that is part of the fun. This time we designed merchandise too, making T-shirts printed with a character called “Hacchan” (see right) and selling them by mail order. We made that program in the style of a certain famous shopping show, with Furui introducing the products. The program also aired “The GARNET SHOPPING Theme,” which I wrote and sang (laughs). We even made the background music ourselves, so it is truly all GARNET CROW.

●That must have been difficult at that scale.

Nakamura: It was difficult, but it was a lot of fun. It is different from our usual music production, so it gets everyone excited. There was also a parody of a certain talk show called “Hitoshi’s Room,” hosted by Oka-mocchi with the other members appearing as guests. It was full of things to see and things to comment on (laughs). The staff and we were seriously playing around with all our might. Once we decided to do it, we wanted to do it properly. We also filmed a music video for this single’s coupling track, “Love Lone Star,” for the program. At first, we imagined simply filming ourselves singing casually in a studio, but once we arrived on location, it became almost as large-scale as filming the single’s music video (laughs).

●August is packed with “GARNET TIME SPECIAL,” the release of the single “Yume no Hitotsu,” and your first summer live.

Nakamura: Get through the summer with all of this and make some summer memories!!

New Single “Yume no Hitotsu” 08.8.13 Release
GIZA studio　GZCA-4109　￥1,260 (tax in)

1. Yume no Hitotsu
2. Love Lone Star
3. Mijikai Natsu
4. Yume no Hitotsu (Instrumental)

All Songs
Lyrics: AZUKI Nana・Music: Yuri Nakamura・Arrangement: Hirohito Furui

※“Yume no Hitotsu”
Ending theme for the TV Tokyo anime “Golgo 13”

★GARNET CROW livescope 2008
　～Are you ready to lock on ?!～開催!!

●August 16 (Sat.) Tokyo, JCB Hall
OPEN 17:30／START 18:30　(Information) H.I.P: 03-3475-9999

●August 17 (Sun.) Tokyo, JCB Hall
OPEN 16:00／START 17:00　(Information) H.I.P: 03-3475-9999

●August 31 (Sun.) Osaka, Osaka Koseinenkin Hall Grand Hall
OPEN 17:30／START 18:00
(Information) Sound Creator: 06-6357-4400

［Ticket price: All seats reserved ￥6,000 (tax included)］
→All performances 【Thank you sold out!!】

★“GARNET TIME Special” Information!!★

To celebrate GARNET CROW’s eighth anniversary, the much-missed “GARNET TIME,” which ended to great regret, is back as a special edition! And what is more, all four GARNET CROW members took on the production of the program! It gives an early introduction to the appeal of the single “Yume no Hitotsu” and the live show taking place the following week. Be sure to watch the studio-live performances aired between the talk segments too! Don’t miss it!!

●Broadcast date: Friday, August 8, 2008
◻Yahoo! Video → begins broadcasting at midnight on Friday, August 8, 2008
◻Gyao [Gyao] → begins broadcasting at noon on Friday, August 8, 2008

●Distribution period:
　Yahoo! Video and Gyao: Friday, August 8–Monday, September 8

※Yahoo! Video and Gyao, the video-distribution services, and the program content are subject to change. If changes occur, details will be announced through G-NET email distribution and the official website.
※“GARNET TIME Special” is distributed as video over the internet. It cannot be viewed on television, so please be aware of this in advance.

■ OFFICIAL WEBSITE
www.garnetcrow.com